Where Kansas football quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski sees the separation at his position

LAWRENCE — Lance Leipold, Kansas football’s head coach, has come to Jason Bean’s defense at times during fall camp.

Bean, a redshirt senior quarterback for the Jayhawks, may be in line to back up junior Jalon Daniels this season. Leipold himself said he expected Daniels to start when fall camp opened earlier this month. And yet, despite Bean missing time during camp due to an illness, Leipold didn’t acknowledge if that would affect the competition at the position and said Bean has been having some of his best practices in his career at Kansas.

Leipold noted Bean threw the ball well again on Friday. Leipold praised Bean for how he’s gone about his business, despite the conversations swirling about who may start. Leipold proclaimed that’s the type of mindset they need within the program.

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But that doesn’t change the fact that Leipold felt confident enough to say he expected Daniels to be the Jayhawks’ starting quarterback Sept. 2 against Tennessee Tech. Quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski has an idea why. It starts with how Daniels played the final three games of the 2021 season, including a win at Texas, and flows from there.

“Obviously, through spring and so on, kept building off of that, kept building on that,” Zebrowski said. “The greatest thing is, what’s happening is that — I tell the guys this all the time, ‘Competition makes each room better. Each position is better through competition.’ So, one guy has a chance of getting to start to make plays, the other guy wants to play, right? And he keeps playing. The other guy’s got to keep moving, then, keep pushing.”

Zebrowski described that competition as happening daily. He said every day a starting spot is something that has to be earned. Through film, Zebrowski continued, both Daniels and Bean have done well.

What they’re working on, Zebrowski said, is ensuring they can better distribute the ball while “on platform” in the pocket. They already understand Daniels and Bean can use their mobility and make throws “off platform.” It’s about making the throws that are available.

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Zebrowski noted that Daniels doesn’t always have to try to make great plays. The right decision could be choosing a check-down or throwing the ball away. It could be just scrambling and getting the ball back to the line of scrimmage without turning it over.

“The room is very complementary with each other,” said Zebrowski, who believes Bean’s success has come through more comfortably with the offense. “… Being able to see another guy make plays, I think, gets you locked in more. Like, ‘I’m making plays, too. I’ve got to keep this thing rolling, too.’”

Zebrowski sees Daniels as the best he’s ever been around when it comes to doing the mental reps in practice. Even if Daniels doesn’t have the ball in his hands, Zebrowski sees him developing. It only adds to the work Daniels has done over the summer to better be able to dissect opposing defenses.

Zebrowski wants practices to be harder for Daniels so that the games are easier. There’s a line that separates what a quarterback can get away with and what one can’t. Zebrowski is looking to ensure they figure that out before they line up in a game.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Where Kansas football QB coach Jim Zebrowski sees the separation